Sealing means



June 21, 1938. F. w. PETERS I 2,121,299

SEALING MEANS Filed 001;. 18, 1935 Y @MCW ATTORNEY.

Patented June 21, 193% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for sealing against leakage the shaftsof pumps or similar device employed for the circulation of liquid. Asshown herein, my invention is particularly useful in connection with thewater-circulating systems of automobiles, although not limited to use inthat particular fleld of industry. The general purpose and object of myinvention is to provide, for shaft-operated pumps, impellers, and thelike, a sealing means which is capable of operating efficiently for along period of time, which is extremely simple in construction, whichconsists of a minimum number of parts, which is cheap of production, andwhich will compensate automatically for slight misalignments of theshaft and/or its bearings as well as for any wear of the sealing means.

I accomplish the foregoing objects in and through the construction andarrangement of parts shown in the drawing herein, wherein Fig. 1represents a sectional elevation of a pump of the impeller type providedwith the sealing means of my invention, the same being shown as appliedto the water-circulating system of an automobile; Fig. 2 is a view inelevation of the impeller shown in Fig. 1, showing a sealing ring inplace therein; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the outboard endof thespherical packing ring shown in Fig. 1.

Describing the parts by reference characters, I denotes the upperportion of the front wall of a liquid-containing chamber 2 within whichan impeller 3 operates. The chamber 2 may be providedwithin the cylinderblock of an engine andv constitute part of the water-circulation systemthereof. This chamber is provided with an outlet connection 4 throughwhich water is moved by the rotation of the impeller.

The impeller is shown as formed on a housing 5 having at its inboard enda sleeve 6, which may be secured to the shaft l by a driving flt, or bya pin 6, the said shaft being provided with any approved driving means(not shown).

The impeller is conveniently assembled in a unit including the housing 8of which the outlet connection 4 may constitute a part, said housingsurrounding the impeller and the inboard end of the shaft 1 and beingprovided with a flange 5 whereby it may be bolted or otherwiseconveniently secured to the adjacent wall I of the chamber 2, asindicated at 9. The housing II is provided with a sleeve 8* thecylindrical bore of which is provided with a bushing Ill pressed tightlythereinto and forming a bearing for the shaft 'I. This bushing isprovided at its inboard end with a radially outwardly extending flangeill, the outboard annular face of which abuts against the correspondingannular face 8* on the inboard end of the sleeve 8. It will be notedthat the outboard end of the bushing projects beyond the outboard end ofthe sleeve 8.

The impeller housing 5 is provided with a cylindrical seat 5 withinwhich there is pressed a sealing ring ll having a spherical seatingsurface H at the outboard end thereof and extending outwardly from theinner cylindrical wall thereof. I2 denotes a sealing ring which isapproximately hemispherical in shape, the inner end of the radius of itsspherical surface l2 coinciding preferably with the point X on the axisof the shaft ,1. as does also the inner end of the radius of the seatingsurface ll on the ring II. The ring l2 may be of any wear-resistantmaterial, but I have found that a species of hard carbon, known to thetrade as Morganite carbon, is well adapted for the construction of suchrings. However, it may be made of steel, chromiumplated for hardness ifdesired.

The ring it is provided on its outboard end with an annular bearingsurface I 2 which is adapted to engage the cooperating surface Ill onthe flange ill, the said flange constituting a sealing member. It willbe noted that the annular bearing surface l2 is in contact with thesurface l throughout its entire extent whereby no portion of the formersurface will overhang the periphery of the latter surface. This isparticularly important where the sealing ring I! is made of carbon or acarbon composition of the character referred to hereinbefore. Should thebearing surface ll project beyond the periphery of the cooperatingsurface I0 a groove will be cut in the former surface, with anoverhanging annular ledge at the periphery thereof, making itpractically impossible to maintain a seal between the said surfaces.

I3 denotes a ring which is rotatable with the shaft 1, as by having adriving fit thereon, the inboard face I3 of said ring engaging theoutboard end ll] of the bushing l0. Surrounding the shaft is a sleeve ithaving at its inboard end a seat comprising the annular wall I4" and thecylindrical wall 14 which walls are adapted to engage respectively theoutboard annular wall and the outer cylindricalwall of the ring l3. Theoutboard end of the sleeve I 4 is provided with diametrically opposedslots l4 through which and a slot l in the shaft 1, a cotter pin lextends.

Surrounding the sleeve I4 and interposed between the pin 15 and the wallII, is a helical spring l6 which tends to move the shaft 1 and theimpeller 3, together with the ring II, in an outboard direction and thusto maintain the sealing surfaces Il I2, I2 IO, N) and I3"- in sealingengagement. It will be noted that the slot 'l" is elongated in thedirection of the length of the shaft thereby to accommodate sufficientmovement of the shaft in an outboard direction to compensate for thewear of the parts.

The rings H and I3 may be of any desirable bearing material, such assteel, phosphor bronze, spring brass, or spring steel chromium platedfor hardness, while the bushing II] is preferably of bronze; the ring Hmay also be of deformable resilient material.

The ring I2 is provided with a bore 12 of greater diameter than thediameter of the shaft 1, whereby it may have a floating movement withreference to said shaft sufficient to automatically adjust itself andcompensate for wear and for any slight misalignment between the shaft 1and its bearings, as well as to cooperate efficiently with the surfaceII of the ring H and the inboard annular face 40* of the flange 10*.

With the parts constructed and arranged as described, it is believedthat the operation will be readily understood. When the shaft 1 isrotated. the bearing ring H is rotated thereby, being mounted in theseat provided therefor in the hub 5 of the impeller. The sphericalsurface ll of said ring rotates in engagement with the adjacentspherical surface of the ring I2, thereby tending to impart rotarymovement to the latter ring. The annular bearing surface N of the latterring engages and is maintained in close contact with the inboard annularsurface of the flange III by the action of the spring H, which springalso presses the sealing ring 113 against the outboard end of thebushing III.

If desired, the ring I3 may be formed as part of the inboard end of thesleeve ll, instead of being made separately therefrom, as shown.

By the construction shown and described, an effective seal is providedbetween the rings H and i2, between the ring l2 and the flange on thebushing l0, and between the ring l3 and the outboard end of saidbushing. Furthermore the parts are maintained in said sealing relationby the action of the spring l6; and the spring, not constituting a partof the driving means but operating only to hold the various sealingparts in engagement, does not become crystallized in use and hence willlast for an indefinitely long time.

The construction shown and described herein is simple, comprising butfew parts; it is economical of production; and will operate efficientlyfor a long period of time for the purpose for which it is designed.

The ring I! may either be disconnected from the shaft 1, or may have adriving connection therewith, as by the pin-and-slot arrangement shownin my copending application No. 43,884, filed October 7, 1935.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

i. The combination, with a rotatable shaft and a mounting for said shaftand within which said shaft is adapted to rotate, of a packing structuretherefor comprising a sealing ring surrounding said shaft and havingadjacent to one end a spherical surface directed toward said shaft andat its opposite end an annular bearing surface, a member surrounding thesaid shaft and attached thereto and having an annular seat surroundingand spaced from said shaft. an annular sealing ring within said seat andhaving a spherical sealing portion extending'around an inner edgethereof and adapted to engage the corresponding spherical portion of thefirst-mentioned ring, the annular bearing surface at'the opposite end ofthe first mentioned ring being radially spaced from the shaft, acooperating bearing member surrounding the shaft and adapted to beengaged at one end by said annular bearing surface, a helical springsurrounding the shaft, a member driven by said shaft and engaged by oneend of said spring, and a sealing ring engaging the opposite end of saidbearing member and pressed into engagement therewith by said spring.

2. In the combination recited in claim 1, the member driven by the shaftand engaged by said spring comprising a, pin mounted in a slot extendingthrough said shaft whereby the spring may press the shaft bodilylengthwise thereof to compensate for wear in the sealing members.

3. The combination, with a rotatable shaft and a member secured to theinboard end of said shaft and having an annular seat spaced from theshaft, of a sealing ring mounted within said seat and having a sphericalsurface extending around an inner edge thereof, a sealing ring looselysurrounding said shaft and having adjacent to one end thereof aspherical surface cooperating with the spherical surface of the firstmentioned ring and having at its opposite end a plane annular surfacesurrounding and spaced radially from the shaft, a member surrounding theshaft within which said shaft is adapted to rotate and having an annularsurface cooperating with and engaged by the entire annular surface ofthe second ring, and a spring serving to press the said surfaces intoengagement with one another.

4. The combination with a rotatable shaft and a member secured to theinboard end of said shaft and having an annular seat spaced from theshaft, a sealing ring mounted within said seat and having a sphericalsurface extending around an inner edge thereof, a sealing ringsurrounding said shaft and having adjacent to one end thereof aspherical surface cooperating with the spherical surface of the firstmentioned ring and having at its opposite end an annular surfacesurrounding and spaced from the shaft, a member surrounding the shaftwithin which said shaft is adapted to rotate and having an annularsurface cooperating with the annular surface of the second ring, asleeve surrounding the shaft and carrying at one end means adapted toengage the end of the last mentioned member which is opposite to theannular bearing surface thereof, the sleeve being provided withdiametrically opposed longitudinally extending slots and the shafthaving a slot extending longitudinally therethrough, a pin extendingthrough the said slots, and a spring mounted on the sleeve and havingone end engaging said pin and the opposite end pressing against themeans carried by said sleeve.

5. The combination, with a rotatable shaft and a bushing through whichthe shaft extends and having a radially outwardly extending flange atits inboard end provided on its inboard face with an annular bearingsurface, a member secured to the inboard end of said shaft and having anannular seat surrounding the shaft, a sealing ring within said seat andhaving a spherical surface extending around an inner edge thereof, asecond sealing ring interposed between the first sealing I ring and thebearing surface on said flange, the

second sealing ring having adjacent to one end a spherical surfacedirected toward said shaft and at its opposite end an annular bearingsurface adapted to engage the bearing surface on said flange. a sleevesurrounding the shaft and having at its inboard end a radially outwardlyextending member and having opposed longitudinally extending slotsadjacent its outboard end, a pin extending through said slots andthrough said shaft, and a helical spring mounted on said sleeve andhaving one end engaging the pin and its opposite end engaging the memberat the inboard end of said sleeve.

6. In the combination recited in claim 5, a sealing ring mounted withinthe flange at the inboard end of the sleeve and interposed between thesame and the outboard end of the bushing.

7. The combination, with a rotatable shaft and a sleeve member withinwhich the shaft is adapted to rotate, o! a packing structure comprisinga sealing member surrounding said shaft and se and formed on the end ofthe said sleeve member which is adjacent to the second sealing member,means for maintaining said sealing members in engagement with oneanother, the said means comprising a helical spring surrounding theshaft and rotatable therewith, a second sleeve member surrounding saidshaft and on which the spring is mounted, the second sleeve memberhaving at one end means adapted to engage the end of the first sleevemember opposite the end thereof which is engaged by the second sealingmember, projec tions ei'ztending from said shaft. there being slots forsaid projections in the part of the second sleeve member remote fromsuch engaging means, the spring pressing at one end against suchengaging means and at its opposite end against said projections.

FREDERICK W. PETERS.

